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I’ve never mastered the skill of solving Rubik’s cubes, but there should be nothing puzzling about this Rubik’s Cube mini fridge. It’s basically a larger-than-life version of a typical (unsolved) Rubik’s cube. Pull on the discrete handle at the side to reveal the insides of the fridge that can fit up to nine cans of stacked soda cans.

Of course, the exterior doesn’t actually turn, so it will remain unsolved forever–or until you replace it. The fridge also comes with a warm and cool setting, so you can use it to keep stuff like leftovers warm and drinks cool.

The Rubik’s cube desk light is perfect for your desk. First of all, it’s a desk lamp, so you’ve got a legitimate reason to display this colorful little thing on your work station. Second, it’s a Rubik’s cube. It’s not just for show either, because you can actually play with this lamp as you would a regular Rubik’s cube. Regardless, it does make for a pretty awesome decorative piece, doesn’t it?

On a full charge, the Rubik’s cube will give you two hours of playing time. When you feel like giving your hands a rest or if you have to get back to work (yikes!), just mount it on the triangular base to recharge.… Continue Reading

We’ve covered Rubik’s Cubes pretty extensively over the years. You might not know this, but they come in innumerable flavours, from 3X3X9 mindbenders to touchscreen based versions. You can add to that list the above “2 in 1 Conjoined 3x3x3 Rubik’s Magic Cube.” The goal of this puzzle is clearly still the same so there really isn’t much else to explain. Folks who like the challenge of a freshly minted puzzle, know that this particular toy/challenge will set you back a very modest $14.

As you can imagine, the name “Rubik’s Cube” is registered. So this is the “IQ Brick Cube”. And if you were having trouble solving the original, expect to spend countless hours with this. Featuring one regular sized layer, there are then 7 or 9 extra layers which are much thinner. Being no mathematician, we calculate this increases the complexity a few million-fold. And although it looks almost impossible to solve, there apparently is a method to make things easier.

LEGO and its MINDSTORMS and TECHNICS counterparts allow you to build an infinite number of robotic contraptions, but they do require some level of engineering and programming know-how to bring your creations to life. Something most kids don’t have. So to make it easier for kids to hit the ground running/building, the Cubelets robotic building blocks already have all of that intelligence and functionality built-in. In fact each block is a simple robot in and of itself, but they can be combined to create something more complex and interactive than just a building block castle.

The standard Cubelets kit comes with 20 blocks that each have unique capabilities. Like action blocks (drive, rotate, speaker, flashlight & graph), sense blocks (knob, brightness, distance & temperature) and think/utility blocks (inverse, minimum, maximum, battery, passive & blocker) which sit in-between and affect how the action and sense blocks interact. So instead of having to specifically program your creation to behave a certain way, you just assemble the Cubelets you think it will need, and then watch how it behaves on its own. Now obviously you’re not going to be able to build something like a complex Rubik’s Cube solver with the Cubelets, but as a way to introduce kids to robotic concepts it seems like a fantastic learning tool.

Modular Robotics, the company behind the Cubelets, created 100 beta test kits as an initial introduction to the building toy, and even at $300 a set they’re already sold out. But more are in production, and they’re hoping to have them available in the very near future.

Some people keep a solved Rubik’s Cube on their desks as nothing more than a decoration, and seem to get really, really angry if you completely mess it up while they’ve stepped out for lunch. (It was no reason to bust my favorite pencil in retaliation!) But imagine how upset they’d be if they had dropped $1,950 on this Rubik’s Cube from Dunhill which is covered in squares of dyed shagreen leather. (Which comes from sharks and rays these days.)

The cube itself is a “genuine competition standard Rubik’s cube” which basically means it’s your regular old plastic model, so there’s nothing special on the inside. But the individual squares of leather have been polished to a smooth finish which is apparently easier on the hands while solving the cube. A nice touch for sure, but I doubt anyone who spends almost 2 grand on a Rubik’s Cube is going to spend much time playing with it.

It pains me to admit that I’ve never actually solved a Rubik’s Cube. Granted, it’s been years since I last tried, but I still feel disappointed nonetheless. One question that plagued me for some time was whether or not a colorblind person could solve the puzzle. Of course I later discover that I myself am at least partially colorblind, Since I can see the differences in the colors, I’m not too worried. Of course, for those that can see nothing at all, the game has little actual meaning. Thankfully one designer has decided to craft a cube which is playable even by the blind.

As you might have guessed, each block has a set of Braile on top it off. This is so that even someone who cannot see at all can have a real shot at solving it. Unfortunately we know not the price, nor if this product will ever make it to market.

The theme of this year’s Toy Fair seems to be: “Hey, remember those games you played with as a kid? Now they require batteries!” First it was Boggle who got a high-tech upgrade, and now it’s the Rubik’s Cube. Of course this isn’t the first electronic version of the Rubik’s Cube, that distinction goes to the less-than-well-received Rubik’s TouchCube with its $150 price tag, but the second time could be the charm!

Besides a slightly more reasonable MSRP of around $40 (£25), Rubik’s Slide features a different kind of puzzle gameplay with just 9 light-up squares that have to be twisted and turned to match a pre-determined pattern. According to Pocket-lint, Rubik’s Slide will come with over 10,000 puzzles of varying difficulty levels to keep the replay value high, and is expected to be available later this year.

The Rubik’s TouchCube first surfaced back in February earlier this year, and the “available sometime in the Fall” release date that was given translates to very soon, if not already. The official Rubik’s TouchCube website claims the cube is already available at Best Buy, though a quick search of their online store returned no results, while The New York Times Gadgetwise blog claims it will be in stores on October 18, just a few weeks away.

For those who haven’t seen it before, the Rubik’s TouchCube is essentially the same sliding puzzle toy you had as a kid, except the moving parts and colored stickers have been replaced with illuminated panels and touch sensors that allow you to turn or twist a series of squares simply by swiping your finger across them. And for nostalgia’s sake there’s even an option to turn on an accompanying sound effect that’s an actual recording of the original cube’s twisting sound.

The best part is that thanks to a “powerful processor” inside, the TouchCube always knows the exact number of moves needed to solve it, though I imagine you could get all the sides back to a uniform color by simply resetting it. It definitely looks a lot cooler than the original, but is it $150 worth of cool?

OhGizmo! is a frequently updated blog that focuses on covering items that will appeal to a very specific and often very passionate audience: the geek. Aside from the fare of innovative consumer electronic products, the reader can expect to find news about geek culture, absurd inventions, awe inspiring technology, and an ever growing assortment of articles that we like to think fit within our view of what we’re calling the Geek Lifestyle.